Children with additional education needs being 'consistently failed', says Cork TD

A Cork TD has criticised the “lack of planning in the school system” that is resulting in children with additional educational needs “consistently being failed”.

Cork South-West TD Holly Cairns raised the matter in the Dáil, saying that she is contacted by parents across West Cork about the issue “every week”.

“I was speaking to a mother and her twin children recently,” Ms Cairns said.

“One of the twins has Down syndrome and they have been in the same class all the way through primary school. One twin has had an SNA with her full time.

“They are just about to head in to secondary school and they found out there is a place for one of the twins, but potentially not for the other one.

“They do not know and just have to wait to find out,” the Social Democrats leader said.

“This child has been in school for eight years, the special-educational-needs organiser has known about it, and the fact that there has been no forward planning or preparation for this just blows my mind.

“I cannot understand how that is not happening.

“The parents of children who have to fight for their supports, in the first instance, in primary school should not have to start fighting all over again when they start secondary school.

“I am asking that polices around planning for students with additional needs are revised.

“It needs to start before this. Schools should get information from creches for primary school and then primary school information should be given to secondary schools.”

Responding, Taoiseach Simon Harris acknowledged that there is a need “to plan much earlier”.

“This idea that the system is surprised that somebody needs to move from pre-school to primary school, primary school to secondary school, or even secondary school to third-level education is a nonsense,” Mr Harris said.

“I accept we are not doing enough in this space and we need to do much more and much better.

“It is one of the areas on which we have a particular focus at the Cabinet committee on disability,” he said.

“We are focusing on how we can start to get ahead of this situation.

“I can read out notes here that will say that everybody who needs a place will get a place.

“I believe that to be true, but it misses the point in terms of the stress, anxiety, and worry that somebody feels, such as the parent of the twins referred to by the deputy.

“There are other examples of that.

“I take the legitimate point and I will come back to her further on that,” Mr Harris said.